Char Dham Yatra

Char Dham or four Dhams of North India are the famous pilgrimage for Hindus in India. Portals of char dhams open in every summer for devotees during the month of April - May. Char means four and Dham means Abode of God, the Char Dham Yatra includes the visit of four sacred places namely Yamunotri, Gangotri, and Kedarnath & Badrinath. All four Dhams are situated in the upper Garhwal region of Uttarakhand state. Official date of Chardham Yatra is announced every year well before time that lets people do their preparation for Char Dham Yatra at ease.

DAY 01 : DELHI – HARIDWAR BY ROAD 200 KMS 05 HOURS
On arrival, you are met and proceed to Haridwar or pick up from hotel in Delhi and drive to Haridwar. On arrival in Haridwar, check in at your pre-booked Hotel. After fresshen up, afternoon sightseeing tour of Haridwar. Evening Aarti and Pooja at Har Ki pauri Ghat. Overnight at Hotel.

Yamunotri Temple: Maharani Gularia of Jaipur built the temple in the 19th Century. It was destroyed twice in the present century and rebuilt again.Yamunotri temple is the first holy shrine of Char Dham yatra, dedicated to Goddess Yamuna, also lies in Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand state. The temple is situated at an altitude of 3,165 meters above sea level and is also the source of sacred river Yamuna that originates from the Champasar Glacier.

Surya Kund: There are a Number of thermal springs in the vicinity of the temple, which flows into numerous pools. The most important of these is Surya Kund.

Uttarkashi: Situated at the bank of river Bhagirathi. The temple of Lord Vishwanath is located here where a massive iron trident is erected. The other important temples situated here are Ekadash Rudra, Bhairav, Gyaneshwar and Goddess Kuteti Devi.

Gangotri Temple: One of the most significant pilgrimages for Hindus in the Garhwal Himalayas region , where the most sacred river of India, the Ganges - the stream of life, touched earth for the first time. It is situated at an altitude of 3,042 meters above sea level along the right bank of river Bhagirathi and dedicated to Goddess. It was built by Gorkha Commander Amar Singh Thapa in 18th century.
Submerged Shivling: Submerged in the river, this natural rock Shivling is the place where, according to mythology Lord Shiva sat when he received the Ganga in his matted lock. It is visible in winter months when water level decreases.

Kedar Ganga Sangam: Around 100 Yards from the Ganga Temple flows the river Kedar Ganga. Starting from the Kedar Valle, this river meets the Bhagirathi on its left bank.

DAY 06 : UTTARKASHI – GUPTKASHI (175 KM / 08 HRS DRIVE)
After early breakfast, drive to Guptkashi. On arrival, check in at your pre-booked hotel. Night halt at Guptkashi. Guptkashi is the confluence of river Mandakini and river Alaknanda. Temples: Rudranath and Chamunda Devi, Koteshwar Temple (3 Kms). Overnight at Hotel

DAY 07 : GUPTKASHI – KEDARNATH – GUPTKASHI BY HORSE
Morning proceed to visit Shri Kedarnath Ji and evening back to the Hotel.

Gaurikund: At a distance of 5kms from Sonprayag and at an altitude of 1982 meters., one can take bath in the hot water pond here and visit the Gauri Temple. This is the place where Goddess Parvathi meditated to attain Lord Shiva. It is the base for a trek to Kedarnath.

Kedarnath: The Kedarnath shrine, one of the 12 jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, is a scenic spot situated, against the backdrop of the majestic Kedarnath range. Kedar is another name of Lord Shiva, the protector and the destroyer. According to legend, the Pandavas after having won over the Kaurava in the Kurukshetra war, felt guilty of having killed their own brothers and sought the blessings of Lord Shiva for redemption. He eluded them repeatedly and while fleeing took refuge at Kedarnath in the form of a bull. On being followed he dived into the ground, leaving his hump on the surface. The remaining portions of Lord Shiva appeared at four other places and are worshipped there as his manifestations. The arms appeared at Tungnath, the face at Rudranath, the belly at Madhmaheshwar and his locks (hair) with head at Kalpeshwar. Kedarnath and the four above-mentioned shrines are treated as Panch Kedar.

Badrinath temple: The Badrinath Temple is situated on the bank of river Alaknanda at Garhwal Himalaya region in Uttarakhand state. The temple was built by Adi Guru Shankaracharya in 8th Century and dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is located at an altitude of 3,133 meters above sea level. Temple is divided into three parts such as the Garbh Griha or Sanctum Sanctorum, the Darshan Mandap where the rituals are conducted and the Sabha Mandap where devotees assemble.. Badrinath Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, is one of the sacred Char Dham in Uttarakhand, in far northern India. Badrinath is also one of four sacred Char Dham abodes of incarnations of Lord Vishnu that are spread across India, in all four directions. The other three are Dwarka in Gujarat, Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu, and Puri in Odisha. It's widely believed that Badrinath temple was established in the 9th century by Adi Shankara, a revered Indian philosopher and saint who revived Hinduism by consolidating its beliefs into a doctrine known as Advaita Vedanta.

DAY 09 : BADRINATH
Full day city tour of Badrinath including the visit to Mana Village.

Mana Village : Mana is a last Indian village from the border of India and Tibet/China in the Himalayas. It is located in the district of Chamoli. It’s been designated as a “Tourism Village” by the Uttarakhand government. Mana village is one of best tourist attraction nearby to Badrinath, It's just 3 kms from Badrinath town. The village is on the banks of the River Saraswati. It is situated at a height of around 3219 meters. The village is surrounded by Himalayan hills. Overnight stay at Hotel in Badrinath.